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Entry 47 by Adeyinka Isioye

Yet I couldn’t ignore the scene, “Iya Basira oni lacasera ti de o!” She would say, dance and then cup her breast, pushing it outwards seductively as if that was what she was selling and to the satisfying grunts of the eye-popping men watching.

“Ahhhh!”

Noise erupts from the crowd so I climb one of my most prized possessions, a brown wooden stool with the fourth leg half the length of the other three. Balancing precariously on the stool, I could see above the sea of heads gathered, to watch the woman and then I discovered the reason for the exclamation on the part of the crowd. She had finally removed the bra, displaying two full breasts that still made me jealous even though they now didn’t look so rounded.

One woman hissed and said “Were dun wo, sugbon ko dun bi lomo” looked at me, rolled her eyes and walked away, I could have sworn I was the one the fool was insulting by the look in her eyes. If I were mad wouldn’t I be behaving like that woman? Would I show my breast in public? Never! I concluded.

I alight from the stool and take stock of my belongings once again, making sure none of this useless onlookers have stolen my things. I suddenly felt the greatest irritation from the depths of my tummy, bent over and vomited really hard. Men wearing yellow and purple uniforms later came to carry the mad woman away. That night sleep eluded me as all I could think of was that Rosco of a man willing him to come call me as usual. Something happened that night, and it happened to me.

Some men woke me up in the middle of the night, and thinking it was Rosco I opened my eyes but was instantly disappointed.

They thought I couldn’t understand what they were saying as they pushed and shoved me towards a bus that had the slogan ‘Eko oni baje o!’ written on it. One of them said “this one will do”, the others nodded in the affirmative. We eventually got to the bus, and as soon as they opened the door the blade of several machetes reflected the moon light into my eyes, it seemed the reflection triggered something in me; all of a sudden I shoved one of the men and began running wildly. They pursued me.

I ran past where I live, past Rosco’s bus and kept on running. I saw several lights ahead and made a run for it and just before I could make it I tripped, heard them catching up, turning just in time to see the machete go up and began its downward journey to end my life I screamed!

Still screaming I woke up in my beautiful house at Ikoyi, my husband by my side petting me and assuring me it was all a nightmare. I said “Thank God” but I didn’t sleep again till I heard the Cock crow heralding dawn.